for the color of his skin, for the circumstances under which he is born. he also made us understand that we can change the world. ♪ >> major money news. unemployment has hit its lowest point in five long years. we're going to break down the numbers for you. plus the life and death of nelson mandela. the revolutionary, activist, world leader, family man, movie star, the funny man, and yes, even the ladies' man. we're live in south africa where a nation and the entire world is mourning the loss of that leader? >> it's nice to have you with us

today. it is official, united states job market is now the healthiest that it has been in five years. short time ago the labor department reported this, that the economy added 203,000 new jobs last month. that was better than they expected. so far 2 million new jobs have been added this year. crunch the numbers and you get a 7% jobless rate. it hasn't been that low since 2008. and if the december job figures are as good as expected, 2013 will mark the strongest economic growth in five years. let's go to zain asher who is on wall street. good jobs news sometimes means taper news might be coming. i don't know if that's the case today. how are the markets doing? >> reporter: the market is liking what this job report means in terms of what it represents. it's clear that if you want to

get in on this economic recover and, i guess, profit from it, the place to be is really stocks. the dow up by about 120 points. but what the market liked about this job report, was really the unemployment rate. that was the key surprise. down to 7%. the fed has said they want to see an unemployment rate as low as 6.5%. we're probably going to be seeing tapering at some point soon. long-term investors are certainly buying in at this level. but we do know that tapering is probably an inhe have that ability coming up in the next few months. what traders are saying is that at these levels we're seeing low volume as well, which can mean volatility. so the big question is can the market sustain this bull run. what's going to happen when the market closes this afternoon? >> i want to get the political

reaction as well. brianna keilar is live at the white house right now. i can only imagine that this is great news. but the jobless rate is still 7%. so how are they framing this today? >> i think they're trying to take a measured approach as they normally do. but they welcome this news. but they're also saying in addition to the fact that, look, this shows that the economy has resilience and it's bouncing back, they're also saying there's a lot of work to be done. and they're taking aim, one of the top economic advisers, to congress. the shutdown doesn't help the economy. we need to get past that. and this certainly gives president bum some fuel. this gives him fuel to his argument. and one of the things that we're seeing the white house now push is extending unemployment

insurance, which is set to expire at the end of the year. president obama basically saying, don't be a grinch, you need to go ahead and do this, to congress. >> well, if anything, it certainly gives them a short reprieve not to answerny questions about the obama care. i can hear the rain behind you. >> freezing rain. >> have a good weekend as well. i'm not done with this topic. a few more months of positive job growth should erase the massive -- always like to see the graph when it goes on the upside. our analyst with cnn money is here with me to talk about this. we've been ringing our handed like mad, saying it's not good enough. is today the time when we change

and say it's good enough or is today we temper things by saying, we're still at 7%. >> we need more months like this, that's for sure. we still have a while to go. there's 11 million americans out there who are unemployed. long-term unemployment, still a big problem. we need more strong months like this. >> do the holiday jobbed affect this number is this a phony number? everybody bones up the staff going into the holidays and then get axed right after christmas. >> and we saw in this report that the jobs were really broad based. not just in retail and restaurants. we had job growth in manufacturing and construction. so this isn't the low wage recovery. that's the good news in this report. >> when i hear the good news, i say, adjusting careful. the dreaded taper.

does a report like this give more rise to the notion that say, after december, we're headed towards the taper? >> i'll tell you what. i've talked to the fed officials myself, and i'm not sure they've all convinced. i think they might need a few more months of growth. >> is that dumb of me to show out there the taper? basically the fed has been throwing a ton of money at the economy and they can't do that forever. >> they've been stimulating the economy since 2008. and we're talking trillions of dollars. and people are wondering when are they going to start pulling back ton the stimulus? but a lot hangs on these job growth numbers. >> the 401(k) is in great shape right now. it's been a good year. >> yes, it has. >> just ahead, of course, the big story of the day, the man, the legend and myth.

we're going to look back at nelson mandela's life and talk about his revolution. and maybe a couple of things that might really surprise you about a man you think you know a lot about. ♪ [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth. [ sniffles, coughs ]

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a life certainly worth talking about and reflecting on today. i've got live pictures up here to the right of the home of nelson mandela in johannesburg. this is what's happening, people come out to pay their respects, just to be a part of this moment in history. in fact, this began yesterday. people actually turned out in their pajamas as it was night fall when many were starting to learn and even many more learning as they awakened to the news that their leader, once president, always leader, had died. and there's been music and dancing, celebrations out in front. see if we can listen in. they were playing "free nelson mandela" just a few moments ago. it's kind of quieted down. and oh, to be a part of that moment out in front of that home. and so many moments to celebrate in the coming days. this is going to be a ten-day

remembrance for nelson mandela. we'll go over that in a moment. i want to show you a couple of things here in little old new york where often times all the main newspapers are buried in their headlines, some features critical issues in washington and other local news in new york. and today, everyone is of the same mind. take a look at these. s in the "new york post" with nelson mandela on the cover. "the daily news" right here. and "usa today." the laughter. we're going to talk about more of the funny man that was nelson mandela. it's really artistic and lovely. and then here the "the wall street journal" has a very reflective nelson mandela on the cover. and everyone above the fold in

bold type face in that headline. this is everyone's story. it's even in south africa and the death of nelson mandela passing at the angle of 95, even though expected, has touched at all of hearts. we're going to hear for from johannesburg in a moment. but first this. >> reporter: nelson mandela's struggle for freedom defined his life. he was born in the remote hills of south africa's eastern cape. he was given the name that means trouble maker. he was only given the name nelson by a school teacher later on. after moving to johannesburg and studying law, his trouble making politics pe began. and as a boxer, he became adept at picking fighted and spiring with the authorize. it was then that he made the

crucial decision to take up an alls struggle. launching the national african congress's armed wing. he was defiantly burning his pass book, a dresded document that they used to control the movement of south africa's black population. >> the africans want to franchise on the basis of one man, one vote. they want political independent pence. >> that simple demand and the methods he took to fight for democracy eventually saw him and others tried for treason. but they got life im przment. banished to robben island, one of the country's most brutal and isolated prisoners. another prisoner remembers the first time he saw mandela in the prison yard. >> i could see from the way he

wau walked and from his conduct that here was a man alreadying his authority on prison regime. >> reporter: he was released 27 years later. >> i have spoken about freedom in my lifetime. your commitment and your discipline has released me to stand before you today. >> reporter: and his lack of bitterness towards the authorities helped him to lead one of the most remarkable political transitions of the 20th century. the trained lawyer and life-long rebel outmaneuvered the part tied leaders and he steered the peaceful transition to democracy. he won a nobel peace prize with

his former partner. >> and to devote myself to the well-being of the reppic and all its people. >> and then he became the first black president of south africa in 1994. >> so help me god. >> what marks his career as president almost more than anything else, after five years he stepped down. there have been very few presidents in africa who have ever given up willingly. >> don't call me. i'll call you. >> reporter: his years were busy with fundraising for charities close to his heart. he celebrated his 90th birthday with much fanfare. and told cnn in a rare interview that looking back, he wouldn't do anything differently. >> i don't regret it. because the things that have triggered me were things that pleased my soul. >> now, those who loved and

respected him look to his legacy. >> and if we want to learn from him, learn that life is not made up of straight victories. it's made up of mistakes, zig zags, stumbling, picking yourself up, and dusting off the dirt, treating the bruise, and walking again whole. and that's what mandela used to d do. >> reporter: cnn, johannesburg, south africa. >> to say that nelson mandela changed this country would sell this man pretty short. he changed the world and future for generations. and future generations are going to learn about that in detail through all of the writings of my next guest. rick stengel is colab rart on mandela's claimed "long walk to

freedom." he authored the biography, "mandela's way." and he's live with us to talk about nelson mandela. i just said, during that piece that we were watching it's hard to do a short interview about nelson mandela. i don't even know where to begin. but when i read your piece, the thing that stood out most was he was a pragmatic politician. which i think a lot of people would find hard to sort of prioritize in his description. >> ashleigh, first of all i want to complement you on the pronunciation of his name. he woke up and incredibly early in the morning, we did our interviews and he would call people at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. and the person would go who the heck is this, and there was a long pause and he would go "mandela." so one of the things i want people to understand is that he wasn't a saint.

he wasn't a flofy los fy lofy i. he was a hot headed -- that steeled him and made him understand restraint and the need for reconciliation. but he was a politician. and he was proud to call himself a politician. that wasn't a dirt word in his election con. >> i heard you say i think on "new day" this morning fire -- the same fire that melts the butter solidifies or haddens the egg. and i think a lot of people would find it -- look, anybody would find it difficult to believe that you could emerge from the 27 years of hard labor and rock slitting and torture from guards and actually stand beside that same guard yurg your inauguration and preach reconciliation. >> when he was sentenced to life in prison, there were eight or nine prisoners, anc members.

the government of south africa had a decision, we could execute them. they decided not to do that. we could send them to robben island and put them in the south african system so they weren't together. they didn't want to do that because they thought it would be like individual germs and affect the whole system. but by keeping them together on robben island, they loved each other and reinforced each other. they were studying and keeping body and soul together. in a way that it was much harder for the other people and much hard are for his wife winnie who had to keep the family together outside. >> he said he sneaked one past the guards by getting the economyist into the cell. no slight to "time" but he couldn't get "time."

but the "economist". >> and he wanted to read "war and peace". >> your piece is a great one. i feel like i just got to the surface. have a good weekend. as we mentioned, nelson mandela managed to touch about every part of the world. and in the entertainment realm, he was what you call a true rock star. just ahead, the birthday party that helped pave the way to his eventual freedom. [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. so when my moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis them.

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♪ trouble maker in the best sense of the word. nelson mandela spent more than a quarter of his life in one of the world's most notorious hard labor prison systems. many would lose hope, insanity and will to live and certainly get angry. mandela kept none of the bad and all of the good. he held on to his sense of humor as well. >> reporter: the goofy dance, the broad smile. nelson mandela was a cartoonist's dream. this man documented mandela's political life on paper.

cartoons that he so enjoyed that he once phoned him up when they were no longer printed in the newspaper that he like to read. >> a woman says, hold on for president mandela. and i said, no this is a joke. i wait a bit longer and this voice comes on. hello. is that zapiro? and i said yes. and i was thinking, is it him? and he says, this is president mandela. and i was like, it sounds like you, so it must be you. >> reporter: he says it was his next comment during the telephone conversation that said so much about his leadership style. >> i just want to say something else, i want to say that i'm amazed that you're doing this when you would have seen that cartoons have been getting a lot more critical. i've had to take a critical step back and do things critical of

the government and -- and he said, oh, but that is your job. >> reporter: they say he understood the need for satire in society and wasn't threatened by criticism. >> what are you going to do -- very good. what are you -- >> reporter: and he used humor to make people relaxed around him. >> i'm going to look like a pickle. >> reporter: and mandela was a master of self-depository indicating humor. listen to him tell a story about meeting a child who is questioning him about his time in prison. >> and he said how long did you remain there? i said, can't. but it was a long, long time. and again two years -- and i said, no. longer than that. but she insisted, but how long? i said, well, look, i have already told you that i can't remember. and she said, you are a stupid

old man. [ laughter ] >> reporter: his delivery, dry wit and biting one-liners were honed in prison says this cabinet minister who was jailed with mandela, affect books affection atly known asthma deebia. >> it was key for him. he carried us throughout. he said, madiba, if you're not who you are, you should have been a friend of bill cosby. >> reporter: despite all of mandela's achievements, many will just remember the warmth in his heart and the twinkle in his eye. >> nelson mandela garnerred more international support and admiration than perhaps any world leader in recent memory and maybe in even less recent memory. but that wasn't always the case.

he didn't become a global household name until the 1980s. cnn's nischelle turner has the story about the star-studied concert that helped raise awareness from his cause. >> this is all generating from one man that none of us has ever met, nelson mandela. >> reporter: in 1988, nelson mandela was behind bars in south africa. when a collection of musicians coming together in london to call for his release, sent a message around the world ♪ >> it was an 11 1/2 hour broadcast to 600 million people when there are only 5 billion in the world. to get that, we had to not only sell the program to 67 countries, we had to give it away to 30 african countries that wanted to broadcast it. >> reporter: this man organized

the 70th birthday tribute. >> the run up to the first ever broadcast, it was still possible for margaret thatcher as prime minister of england to stand up in the house of commons and ask the question in public, how is it that the bbc can be broadcasting an event for a terrorist? and that's how powerful that word was. and the part tied regime knew it. that if they could keep him being labeled as a terrorist, they could keep him in prison. and i said you can't get a black terrorist out of prison but you can get a black leader out of prison. >> reporter: he recruited stars like dire straights, whitney houston, and pete he gabriel. >> at that point in time the whole of the music industry was very, very powerful. it was big. it was big on television. and so, by them helping to come

onboard, it loud this instrument that we had to project his image across the world. >> reporter: in the aftermath of the broadcast, as the pressure that would ultimately free mandela, he got a letter from his concert partners, the african national congress and the anti-apartheid movement. >> it said certainly it mark as landmark in our history. the greatest single event we have undertaken in support of the trouble. we can certainly look forward with to the future with revived hope. >> thanks for having us. >> and nischelle joins me live. he was freed on your birthday? >> he was. february 11th. and i was tell me today, it was always a special thing for me. i have a necklace with the south african colors and his face and

the date. i got that when i was young. >> the numbers of stars that came out immediately with the incredible statements, bono's made me cry. >> bono said nelson mandela showed us how to love rather than hate. he put his family, country, time, his life on the line. stubborn until the end for all the right reasoned. it felt like he very nearly outstaired his maker. and finally today he blinked. >> the star issue i couldn't figure out why the stars had all glommod onto this cause early on. >> i think it started an awareness in in hollywood in the '80s. and they started to glom on to his story. and the 70th birthday

celebration at womenably stadium, that was an iconic moment. and he came out and says, i believe that that had a lot to do with me being released just a couple years later. >> i still hear the congress. ♪ free nelson mandela and i love it. another celebrity paying tribute to nelson mandela. more began freeman called him a man of incomparable honor. and he played mandela in the movie "inviktus." we've been telling you a lot about a big ice storm that's hitting the midsection of this country. and what you might not realize

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an arkansas man has been

killed in a large ice storm that is now stretching across the belly of this country. all the way from dallas to cincinnati. what had been obamaing weather in a lot of places has now been replaced with snow and sleet and freezing rain. and that means danger. roads are especially hazardous. in fact, when you take a look at pictures like that, you can see exactly why. schools have been closed all the way from texas to tennessee. and there's more of this coming. so while you may be girding for it, bear down. another storm system is going to move in, even parts of california are facing freeze warnings. casey wian is in an orange grove in california. i always worry about the crops and protecting them. what are they doing out there? >> reporter: certainly a concern. it's a very balmy comparative 36 degrees and out in this area it got down as low as 23 degrees. so some of things they're doing,

we were out with a grower last night who is turning on his wind machines. these are big dieseled powered wind machines. each of these machines cost about $40,000, but it's well worth the expense to raise the temperatures in these groves. another thing they're doing, we can show you right in front of me. they saturate these groves. by keeping them wet, that actually helps raise the temperature one or two degrees. and every degree really matters. the good news, growers saying they do not expect any significant damage from the freeze that we've had over the last couple of days. you can look at some of the fruit, california oranges have a much thicker skin than florida oranges. they have a higher sugar content too, so that protects the fruit. they do expect some damage when they start cutting fruit open

later next week to assess the damage. but they don't expect the damage is going to be significant enough to really impact supplies and drive up prices at the supermarket. >> that's so interesting. i'm glad you showeds me that. i had no idea that they saturated the ground to get the couple of degrees. >> it's a little counter intuitive, but it really works. >> i learn something new every day. so nelson mandela managed to pull off something that so many politicians try to do and fail ms.ably at. put on some sports hat or sports shirt and manage to get opponents together and maybe more importantly endure yourself to millions. we're going to explore that in just a moment. ♪ i have low testosterone. there, i said it.

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>> there's mr. mandela, mr. nelson mandela. a free man taking his first steps into south africa. >> we have seen our political emancipation. liberate all of our people from the continues holds of poverty and other discrimination. never, never, and never again

that this beautiful land will obtain the spirit, the oppression of one by another, can suffer the indignity to things to come of this world. i have said it, the idea of a democratic and peaceful -- in which all people live together in harmony and with equal opportunity. this is an ideal which i hope to live for. and to go and see what, if need be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die. >> in the final years of

mandela's life, private plans were being made between the government and military and his family as they were preparing for a fitting farewell for a man of his greatness. thousands, detailed accounts of his first ten days. i should say thousands are going to congregate, to get together to commemorate this great man. it's going to take ten days. it's a very specific unfolding of the ceremonial remembrance. we got a look into the calendar. sunday will mark a day of prayer and reflection. no public events until this coming tuesday, that's five full days after the death of mandela. that's when tens of thousands of people are expected to converge on a soccer stadium for a memorial service. and we have just received word that president obama will travel to be there.

and beginning on wednesday mandela's body will lay in state in pretoria and then he will be on the grounds of his childhood home. here is something you might not know about nelson mandela. he was an amateur boxer. i love that picture. he was also a long distance runner. and what's more, he learned that in prison, sports can be a major weapon against racism. he didn't invent using athletic competition to unit people, but he kamd close to perfecting it in 1995 when he brought the his nation together through the world cup of rugby. the nearly all-white crowds cheering and chants his name as he wore the jersey onto the field. look at that smile.

love that. even in 1990 on his first visit to new york, look at that, he rocked the crowd at yankee's stadium wearing a yankee's hat and jacket and they went wild when he declared, quote, i am a yankee. great picture. his passion was politics. and he made his mark with leaders around the world using wit and humor. congressman charlie rangel met him and shares his reflections, coming up next. this was the hardest decision i've ever had to make.

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could reach 35 million dollars. you get a great deal on a new subaru. we'll donate 250 dollars to a choice of charities that benefit your community. it feels good to be a helping hand. for aveeno® positively radiant face moisturizer. [ female announcer ] aveeno® with soy helps reduce the look of brown spots in 4 weeks. for healthy radiant skin. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results. and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what?

>> my very first political action, the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, as to protest against apartheid. >> the first black president of the united states of america reflecting on some very personal inspiration from the struggles of any son mandela, but if barack obama was moved to speak

out, my next guest says mandela left him speechless. if you know my next guest, that's saying is something big. charlie rangel from harlem joining me live in the studios. good to see you today. great to see you today. i heard you on the morning show this morning. you said something like i'm embarrassed to say as a kid, i knew very little about this guy and i knew very little about africa because africa was something you said when you wanted to insult someone. that will really stuck with me. tell me how that progressed. >> well, you know, it just wasn't that the slave owners wanted to cut off all connection with pride and dignity and substitute it with something that would be inferior, but i went around the world talking about color during the civil rights movement. and brazilians and argentineans of african descent could be insulted that i even raised the question, they were so

embarrassed even though they were darker than i am. and so someone said earlier that you know america was the last ones to recognize that mandela was not a terrorist but he was a freedom fighter. >> only a few years ago, we took him off the watch list. >> still they said so nelson really gave more appreciation to the castros and to the other people. i said that's not so. that's not so. nelson mandela knew racism in its rawest form and he recognized that our great country had symptom of it. >> let me ask you this. if a guy like that who has gone through the worst of the worst when it comes to racism, lost a quart of his life and came out of it with the notion that the only way to the finish line is through reconciliation, what's wrong with us? we have a race problem here. it's not as bad here as it was there. what can we get from him? what can we do to fix what we've

got? >> two things. god spent a lot of time with nelson mandella, and there's no way in the world with all the fighting i've done that i would have thought that this guy, after 20 years in prison, could become president. so whatever spiritual sainthood type of destiny he's going to, that hasn't happened in our country. we are so far behind that we don't admit that we have a problem. and so if you don't admit you have a racial problem and people will say how dare you talk you got a black president. well, i tell you this. the greatest contribution that any son mandela has made to people of color in this country is that they have the destroyed any myths that people from africa are inferior. and i said earlier, how could you instill this in a black kid that has no knowledge of an african history? well, you may not be able to do it in terms of literature.

but when a kid looks at nelson mandela and says mom, don't i look just like him. >> saying that about the president. i've got one minute left. i need to you comment on my colleague christiane amman power said mandela was washington and lincoln all wrapped up into one. >> anytime somebody doesn't mind dying for a cause that involves freedom not for himself but the concept that everybody would be the beneficiary of it, that person is really special, and the people mentioned had that quality. >> all right. so take this back to capitol hill. let's start pushing this country towards the notion of reconciliation and forgiveness who matter who you are and what color you. are. maybe we can get today if we use today as a celebration instead of a mourning period. >> i think there's a little bit of any son mandela in all of us.

>> i would love to think that. nice to see you. congressman rangel, always good to see you. be sure to tune into the situation room today at 5:00. we have additional similar guests lined up. wolf blitzer is going to talk to former president bill clinton about his very personal relationship with nelson mandela. that's coming up again today 5:00 with wolf blitzer. thanks for watching. special edition of around the world highlighting the life and the death and the very special gifts that man gave us, nelson mandela starts right after this quick break. so you can see like right here i can just... you know, check my policy here, add a car, ah speak to customer service, check on a claim...you know, all with the ah, tap of my geico app.

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doubt that we'll reach the goal off liberating the black people of this country within our lifetime. >> nelson mandela, speaking after his release from 27 years in prison in south africa. his conviction, his courage changed the world. mr. mandela went from freedom fighter to political prisoner to president. >> his message of reconciliat n reconciliation, not vengeance, inspired people everywhere after he negotiated a peaceful end to the brutal